When Russia pulled out of Afghanistan, did the Taliban and Al-Qaeda attack Russia? No. So the

[grahamhgreen]

argument that we'll be attacked if we leave is pure and utter speculation.

Really, we will have terror attacks either way until we eliminate poverty and overpopulation, as well as the disparity of wealth. IMHO

[muntrv]

1. Just like did the Vietcong follow us to the USA after 1975?

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

2. So you think Bin Laden's poverty led to his actions as a terrorist?

[napi21]

3. The Russia argument is a straw man. IF the reason we were attacked is

really because we are occupying the ME, Russia is not. Why would they ever be attacked?

[BOG PERSON]

4. Uh, no, because the Soviet Union dissolved like two years later.

And Russia itself basically collapsed.

[ixion]

5. in no small part due to being bankrupted by occupying Afghanistan

we're walking that path.

[Alamuti Lotus]

6. "Taliban" did not exist at the time of the Soviet occupation

The original tehrik-e-taliban formed as a coalescence of a generation of religious students who came of age after the war, independent and/or disallusioned warlords from the lesser mujihadeen factions, and local businessmen as a reaction to the complete failure of the major factions of the resistance to: a) get along, b) stop firing rockets at major cities (see point a) as to why the latter).

But it is a valid point otherwise.. except, they kinda did; the civil war in Tajikistan and outbreak of war in Nagorno-Karabakh, Chechnya, and Abkhazia allowed them to transfer activities into the Caucasus and Ferghana fronts of the crumbling USSR/Russian federation. This was, however, at the same time that Sheikh Ussamah himself was relocated to the Sudan and directed his attention more towards the war in Iraq and combatting the Saudi royal family.

Not sure where I'm going with this. Mostly to say that simplistic statements are retarded and that things are usually more fucked up and complicated than the simplistic worldview allows for? Sure, that sounds good, I'll go with that.

[Scarsdale Vibe]

7. Yes, the Taliban led and sponsored attacks in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in the 90s.

[sam sarrha]

8. they arent gonna quit mak'n babys cause "WE" ask them, no womens rights to not have babys, +polygamy

[nadinbrzezinski]

9. Actually you could make the argument that yes

Al Qaida did... just that this little war in a southern province is mostly ignored in the US...

You should goggle chechnya, as well as terrorism inside the USSR

Oh hells bells, here is the cliff's notes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrorism_in_Russia#Contemporary_Russia

Mind you... Chechnya has been trying to become independent for a while... and there is this thing called geographic proximity.